San Francisco 49ers’ third-year quarterback Trey Lance reportedly “struggled” in the team’s latest training camp session.
According to David Lombardi of The Athletic, Brock Purdy shined in training camp. Third-stringer Sam Darnold also made a couple of good plays, but the No. 3 selection of the 2021 NFL Draft “really struggled” and missed a pair of “gimmes”.
Lance entered the 2022 season as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, with previous starter Jimmy Garoppolo serving as the backup. Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, forcing the 49ers to go back to Garoppolo.
In Week 13 Garoppolo suffered a foot injury that also ended his season. Kyle Shanahan and company turned to Purdy, the final draft selection (Mr. Irrelevant) of 2022. Purdy won all five of his regular season starts and led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game, where they fell to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In that game, Purdy suffered a torn UCL that required surgery. Second-stringer Josh Johnson left that game after suffering a concussion, and the 49ers went on to lose 31-7.
The 49ers signed Darnold, the No. 3 selection of the 2018 NFL Draft, as insurance for Purdy and Lance. A healthy is unquestionably the front-runner for the starting job, and it looks like Darnold and Lance will continue to duke it out for the second-stringer position.
